SRTA board welcomes first rider representative

NEW BEDFORD — Siggy Meilus, an organizer with Bus Riders United, will serve for one year on the board of SRTA, the regional transit authority.

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By JOSH SULLIVAN

southcoasttoday.com

By JOSH SULLIVAN

Posted Jun. 20, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By JOSH SULLIVAN

Posted Jun. 20, 2014 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

NEW BEDFORD — Siggy Meilus, an organizer with Bus Riders United, will serve for one year on the board of SRTA, the regional transit authority.

Meilus will have a vote equivalent to Freetown and the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) representatives, a news release said.

"Bus riders fought for this seat and won. It is long overdue for those using the service to get a seat at the table to express the needs and concerns of bus riders using SRTA (Southeast Regional Transit Authority) bus services and advocate for a better public transit system," a Bus Riders United statement said.

"Now we can both advocate and have a vote on expanding services," Meilus said. "If anything ever comes up about fare increases or something like that, we can now have a rider perspective on the board."

She also said that "We need to make sure that things people are seeing day to day are brought to the attention of the board. We need to be working for the people in the interest of the riders."

"It's always great to have a voice from the community," said Erik Rousseau, SRTA's administrator. "We've had our ADA rep on for just about the past year and she's been tremendously helpful. It'll be great to boost the information we get from the riders' perspective and we're happy to have her on board."

Vote representation is given based on how much money certain towns and organizations invest in SRTA. Cities such as New Bedford and Fall River have more money to invest and have a higher weighted percentage of the vote than communities with lower numbers, such as the ADA or Westport.

SRTA recently voted to extend nighttime bus service in the New Bedford-Fall River area for a second year. This came as a result of advocating by the Bus Riders United, who insisted that the nighttime services were vital to people in need of public transportation to get them to schools and workplaces.

Other issues that have recently surfaced are the need for Sunday bus service and the cancellation of four routes that go through the towns of Mattapoisett, Fairhaven, Acushnet, Swansea and Somerset.